Good Afternoon Customers,
Buena Tarde Clientes,
WTF?! But, on the business side, We are cautiously seeing progress.
Hello, I hope you all had a great weekend.
If you are a father, I hope you had a nice Father’s Day.
I wanted to start this week’s update with a brief personal note.
I strongly believe in principles like personal responsibility and earning your own way. These are values I’ve always respected and also saw reflected in President Donald Trump.
I admired many of his policies, especially how they supported industries like transportation, manufacturing, and petroleum.
At the same time, I have to admit I’ve been uneasy with some of his recent actions. I believe that certain mandates have crossed a line and have felt inhumane. Those things genuinely trouble me.
That said, from a business perspective, there has been a major development I’m encouraged by. The Trump administration has moved to halt California’s planned 2035 ban on new gasoline vehicles. This was the controversial rule that would have required all new cars and many trucks sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035. That mandate has now effectively been stopped.
Policy Update: California’s 2035 All-Electric Mandate Put on Pause
Last week, President Trump signed off on some big moves that stopped California from enforcing its strict electric vehicle rules. Basically, the state can no longer force all new gas and diesel vehicles to be electric by 2035. That rule would’ve required every new passenger vehicle sold in California to be zero-emission. And for those of us in the fuel and fleet world, this is a big win.
THIS IS WHY IT MATTERS:
1.No Forced Electric Switch for Fleets If that rule had gone through, fleet owners would’ve been under serious pressure to dump their gas and diesel trucks and go all-electric whether or not the tech was ready. (imagine the conversion cost + the operational nightmare!)
Right now, electric heavy-duty trucks are super expensive, and charging stations just aren’t widespread. Stopping the mandate means businesses can keep running their current trucks without worrying about massive upgrade costs or being penalized.
2. More Uptime, Less Headache Diesel still makes a lot of sense for long routes and heavy loads. During the bill signing, Trump gave an example: A diesel truck can go from Reno to LA and back on one tank. An electric truck doing the same route would’ve had to stop six times and spend about nine hours charging. That kind of downtime would crush productivity. Keeping diesel in the mix means our customers can stay efficient and meet delivery schedules without delays.
3. Protecting the Economy This move also helps keep costs under control. If the electric-only rule had gone through, new vehicle prices would have gone way up, and small to mid-sized businesses would have either had to absorb the cost or raise prices on their customers.
On top of that, a lot of jobs tied to traditional vehicles and fuel providers here in California would have been at some risk.
Hopefully, lawmakers in California start to see the value of renewable fuels too. They could be the smart bridge to cleaner energy, without shocking the system.
Bottom line, hitting pause on the 2035 gas ban is a smart and fair move. Everyone wants cleaner air and better tech, but it has to happen in a way that businesses can afford and manage. This gives fleets the breathing room they need and supports industries that are already doing the hard work to adapt. California might still try to bring the rule back, but for now, this gives our customers a clear and realistic way to move forward.
WHOLESALE FUEL COSTS
Wholesale fuel prices jumped last week, even though retail prices stayed mostly flat.
Gas went up around 10 to 12 cents, and diesel rose nearly 20 cents in key markets.
That’s a climb, but, Crude oil prices also climbed. With this trend, expect to see Retail Prices Adapt very soon.
RETAIL FUEL COSTS
Here’s how retail pump prices are looking as of today, compared to last week:
San Diego County
Regular Gasoline: Approximately $4.66 per gallon, about 4 cents lower than last week’s level.
Local prices have been ticking down for over two weeks straight, bringing San Diego gas to its lowest level since February.
Diesel: Around $4.83 per gallon, down roughly 3 cents from last week and 24 cents lower year-over-year.
California State Average
Regular Gasoline: Approximately $4.65 per gallon, roughly 5 cents less than a week ago.
Diesel: About $4.74 per gallon, down 3 cents from last week and 23 cents lower than this time last year.
U.S. National Average
Regular Gasoline: Approximately $3.13–$3.14 per gallon, essentially flat compared to last week (no significant change).
The national average has hovered in the low $3.10s recently, remaining around 32 cents cheaper than this time last year.
Diesel: Around $3.47 per gallon, up about 2 cents from last week but still 25 cents lower than a year ago.
Outlook for the Week Ahead
There is a chance RETAIL fuel prices will go up. As I noted above, retail follows wholesale most of the time.
Summer driving season is in full swing, and wholesale costs jumped recently, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see gas climb a few cents. Retailers will likely be adjusting prices to keep up with higher oil costs.
We’ll keep an eye on things. If you want help planning fuel purchases or just want to talk strategy, let me know.
Appreciate you taking the time to read this.
Stay safe, stay ready, and let’s keep moving forward.
Chris.
#KeepHammering #FleetFuelMatters #BusinessDrivenEnergy #SmartFuelDecisions #TransportationRealityCheck #AdaptAndMoveForward